The Friends of Kimichan
by Professor of Gallifrey
Summary: This is a story dedicated to my friend Kimichan13. She had a hard time with exams (who doesn't?) and we joked about dying from the stress of exams. I made this story to show the reactions of the Fruits Basket characters to the death of Kimi by the cause of the exams. By the way this takes place 6 months after the end of the 23rd volume of Fruits Basket. I own nothing! One-shot!


The Friends of Kimichan

**Furuba: This is a story dedicated to my friend Kimichan13. She had a hard time with exams (who doesn't?) and we joked about dying from the stress of exams. I made this story to show the reactions of the Fruits Basket characters to the death of Kimi by the cause of the exams. By the way this takes place 6 months after the end of the 23****rd**** volume of Fruits Basket. I own nothing!**

The band played a sad tune as the people cried. It was a sad day for the Sohmas, Tohru, Uo, and Hana.

Almost everyone was crying.

Hatori kept looking at the coffin is disbelief. He didn't understand any of it. _How could someone die from the stress of exams? _Was the only thing that was going through his head right now. He knew that it was scientifically impossible for someone to die from that but that didn't make it easier to deal with the pain. Sighing, he bowed his head and started crying.

Yuki was flipping through note cards with tears in his eyes. Like most of his friends, Yuki was giving a eulogy for Kimichan. He hoped he could bring justice to what a wonderful person she was…_it didn't matter that she died from exams. What mattered was her in general._ Yuki kept telling himself this to try to calm himself down.

Kyo and Haru were also reviewing their speeches. Kyo wasn't crying, instead he showed his grief through anger. He didn't want Kimi to die. She had always been on his side against Yuki and therefore had somehow made a special spot for herself in his heart. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it." Kyo kept muttering to himself as he tried to tie his tie. He hated ties. They reminded him of collars and all cats hated collars but for Kimi he was forcing himself into one. Sighing Haru grabbed the tie and started tying it…tears in his own eyes.

Tohru, Uo, Momiji, Kisa, and Hana weren't trying to hide their tears. They let them flow freely and comforted each other.

Everyone there owed so much to Kimi. She was the one that helped them. Standing up to Akito and stopping the—

"Attention please everyone. If you would please sit down the service is about to begin." The priest said.

Everyone sat in the pews. The whole church was covered in every kind of flower possible in every color possible. It was sad but at the same time cheerful…just like Kimichan was. The priest was up in front, standing behind the closed casket that Kimi was in.

The priest started talking again once everyone was settled down. "Today we come here to say good bye to our special friend, Kimichan. She was a wonderful young woman whose death takes a hard toll on all of us who miss her very much."

Tohru started crying even harder when this was said but she was trying her best to stop.

"We have many people here today who loved Kimi very much. Some of these people would like to say a few words at this time."

The priest gestured to Shigure who stood up and walked up in front of the casket. Tears in his eyes he started talking.

"Most people don't know how me and Kimi met. I was at a book signing just blocks from her house. She was a big fan of my books. She was the very last one there and she brought every single book I had ever published to me to sign…even the ones under pen names although I don't know how she found out that I wrote them. Laughing, I had signed all of them and then we started talking. I learned that she went to the very same school as a few of my relatives and so we started hanging out more and I learned many things about her that were very interesting. In the end she became such a close friend that she felt like a member of the family. It was wonderful. She inspired me in many of my books. I owe her so much. She was a wonderful person with an amazing personality. I will never f-forget h-h-er-r-r." Shigure's voice cracked at the end of his speech. He started all out crying. Ayame went up and put an arm around his shoulders. Shigure leaned his head on Aya's shoulder and started crying uncontrollably. Ayame lead him back to his seat as Haru went up and started talking.

"Kimi was my first _normal _friend…if you could call her normal. All of you know how the Sohma family was cursed but she wasn't cursed even though many people thought she was part of our family. So in that respect she was normal. In any other respect she was the craziest, most cheerful, and funniest person in the world. She had a way of lighting up the room even before she walked in and she always had a way of making others feel better. She always thought of others before her. She….she was indescribable. She was that amazing. She will always hold a place in my heart as the first person I ever really thought of as part of my true family." Haru finished his speech, wiping tears away from his eyes, and went back to his seat as Ritsu went up and started speaking.

Sighing before he started speaking Ritsu said, "What can I say about Kimi? Most of you here would probably expect me to start yelling at the coffin that I was sorry. That it was my fault she died because I didn't help her study for the exams…except I can't. Kimi was the one that helped me stop saying I was sorry. She helped me become normal, in more ways than one. I owe her my life because she has done so many wonderful things to help me and gave me a better life. If it wasn't for her than I would still be so afraid that I would be wearing a dress up here instead of a suit. If it wasn't for her than I wouldn't have become the strong man I am today. I owe her so much; I would do anything for her. Thank you Kimi." Ritsu laid a hand on the coffin with tears in his eyes before he went and sat down.

Kureno hesitated a second before he went up there and started his speech, "A little over seven months ago I met two women. One was my fiancé Arisa and the other was Kimi here. My reaction to Kimi was that she was strange and my reaction to Arisa was that even though I liked her I couldn't be with her. I didn't see Arisa for another month but during that month Kimi came to see me every week and tell me about Arisa. In the end it was her who made me see Arisa again and then me and Uo got engaged. Kimi was to be one of our bridesmaids because she was the one who brought us together. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be as happy as I am now." Kureno then went and sat down next to Uo who grabbed his hand and squeezed it slightly.

Momiji walked slowly up to the coffin to give his speech. The fact that he didn't jump up there was a clue to how depressed he was. He walked up there and stayed very silent for a while, as if trying to find the right words to describe how he felt about Kimi. He finally said, "Kimi…was…random. That was part of her personality but it was the thing that people loved most about her. Because of her randomness many things got better…such as the Sohma curse becoming public to everyone in the world and in doing so becoming broken…and another thing that happened because of her randomness is that I was able to tell my mom that I was her son again and her memories were able to come back. If it wasn't for her then I would still be part of a broken family…I love you Kimi." Momiji said the last part softly with silent tears running down his face. He walked down to his spot next to Tohru who hugged him in a try to comfort him.

While Momiji walked to his seat Hiro stood up and made his way to the front of the room. He was one of the few people there able to keep his tears at bay. "When I first met Kimi I didn't like her. In fact we fought all of the time. Whenever I got mad at her though she just laughed and patted me on the head. That was really annoying but now that I think about it I kind of miss her acting like that...a big sister. She helped me open up to people and not act quite as mean to the people I cared about. She was insanely annoying but that was my favorite thing about her. She taught me so many things, did so many things for me and I feel as if I can never pay her back. If I could tell her one last thing then it would be this: Thank you." Hiro finished talking, tears in his eyes as he went back to his seat.

It was now Ayame who went up to deliver his speech. Sighing before he started, Aya finally said, "Kimi and me got along great. We were both outgoing and funny and independent and refused to give up. Kimi was someone I could talk to…someone I could trust. I told her everything. How I wanted to rekindle a relationship with my brother, how I secretly loved Mine, and even how I got into making dresses which is a very strange story. Kimi was the one who helped me achieve what I wanted, a relationship with Yuki and Mine. If it wasn't for her then I would be very alone right now. She always came into my shop and just played dress up with all of the dresses and always she looked so full of life. It just doesn't seem fair that she died…but still…thank you so much Kimi. I will never forget you." Aya finished his speech, looking at the casket with tears coming down his face. He didn't seem to be able to move. Finally Yuki came up and put a hand on his shoulder which helped Aya go down to his seat and let Yuki make his speech.

Yuki took a deep breath before he started, "I had a speech all planned out but I am going to do what Kimi thought I should do more often…improvise. Kimi was…different. She was proud of being different. She said that the second she stopped being different then she wanted us to take her to Hatori for a checkup. Kimi was the girl that people admired her independence. They admired her strength. What I admired about her though was the fact that she didn't have a problem expressing her opinion no matter what the topic. That is how she helped me become who I am. By helping me express what I thought of Akito and start being free. Thank you Kimi."

Yuki walked down and took her seat in between Aya and Haru. Kisa then slowly walked up there. "A few months ago I stopped speaking," Kisa said, "and then I ran away from home. Then Haru brought me to Gure-nii's house where I met two new girls. One of them became someone I now think of as my sister and Kimi became my best friend. She helped me stand up to the bullies at my school and become braver. She helped me learn that no matter what I had to stay strong for the people I cared about. When I grow up I want to be just like Kimi."

Tears started slowly coming down Kisa's face and then she went and sat down. Tohru then made her way up front, not bothering to wipe away the tears that were on her face.

"Kimi and I met two years ago. She became fast friends with my mother and so I became jealous. I didn't want Kimi to take my mother away from me and that was what it felt like she was doing. She tried becoming my friend but I just pushed her away…but no matter what she kept trying to become my friend. One day her stubbornness paid off. It was shortly after my mom died and I had just started to live with the Sohmas. Because I was becoming friends with Yuki-kun the fan girls hated me. One day I was coming home late and those fan girls attacked me. I was beaten and bloody and then Kimi showed up. At first I thought that she was going to join them and beat me because I had been so mean to her but instead she started beating up the fan girls and protecting me. I didn't even know she could fight. I found out later that my mother had taught her and that was how they had become so close. When the girls finally ran off she came to me and helped me up and started carrying me to Hatori. I remember asking her 'Why? After the way I treated you…why did you help me?' She just said 'Because I promised your mother that no matter what happened I would take care of you. I want to be your friend Tohru. I'm sorry if I had ever hurt you…I never meant too but I promise that I will always be there for you. No matter what. That's what friends do.' After that me and Kimi became extremely close friends. She taught me to only see the good in people and that everyone deserves a chance no matter how mean they may seem at first…everyone has good in them." Tohru started crying some more. Uo and Hana came up and Uo lead her to her seat while Hana got ready to say her speech.

"I was close friends with Kimi. She protected Tohru and was always nice. She always had such good, pure, and kind waves. I want her to know that I will always love her."

Hana then went and sat down. No one had expected such a short eulogy but since it was Hana they knew that she could have said a lot less and her saying that much meant that she truly cared for Kimi. Uo then walked up there to give her speech. She tried her best to keep us her tough girl Yankee nature but was failing.

"Kimi and I got along very well. We both did what we could to protect our friends and family and people we cared for. In many ways we were a lot alike…sometime too alike and that lead to us fighting a lot but then we would both burst out laughing. It was a strange relationship but it was one I will always treasure. I felt like she was less of a friend to me and more like a sister. I owe her a lot and I will be extremely sad that she died but I know she would want me to stay strong for the others who need help. I will do this for Kimi." Uo finished, barely keeping her tears at bay and walked to her seat. Slowly Kagura made her way up there.

"I met Kimi around the same time that I met Tohru and when I met her I saw how well she got along with Kyo and I hated her. I suppose it was the jealousy inside me but I hated her with all of my being. Whenever she offered me help I declined and shot her an insult. One day I went to go see Kyo but when I got there no one was home. I decided to wait for him in the living room but when I heard the door open and someone walked in I was expecting Kyo but instead it was Kimi. I immediately got ready for a fight but she only asked me 'What do you have against me?' I didn't really know what to say so I just said, 'You are taking Kyo away from me.' She just said, 'You took him away from yourself.' I realized then that she was right. She showed me that you have to let someone be free and only then will they truly become your friend." Tears started going down Kagura's face and she couldn't continue her speech. She went and sat down. Then Hatori went up and gave his speech.

"I don't know how this happened. I don't know how someone can die from the stress of exams when they were in perfect health not two days ago. Most people expected me to have the answers but I don't…Kimi understood that. She knew that people couldn't know everything and that they had to be given time to understand things but that didn't stop her from trying to do everything and learning everything she could about the Sohma family. She was exceptionally bright but when it came to school she just didn't want to do it. The information just didn't click inside her brain. She continued asking me to give her some sort of medical test to check to see if anything was wrong but it was always a joke. I wish now though that when she had vented about the exams I had listened more and paid more attention…but I didn't. There was no way in the world I could have known this is what was going to happen because of exams. I am sorry that I wasn't able to help you Kimi…even after all you did to help me. You broke my curse and helped reunite me with the one I love…my girlfriend Mayu. Thank you for everything you have done Kimi. I wish I could have done something equally as rewarding for you"

Hatori then went back to his seat with tears about to pool over. There were now only two more people left to give their eulogies. Kyo went up and started speaking.

"Kimi taught me…many things. She taught me that violence is never the answer, that I need to calm down more often, and Justin Bieber sucks." Kyo chuckled at the inside joke, "But most importantly she taught me that family is the most important thing. Kimi was very important to me. She was secretly trying to break the Sohma curse and she succeeded. I don't know how she did it but she did. She was incredibly stubborn and wouldn't quit anything if it was for her friends. She's the one who helped me move past my mother's death and help me start realizing that Shishou is my father. Thanks to her my life is so much better. I wish there had been a way to reverse time so that I could help her with the exams. Thanks to Kimi I can have a normal life now. Thank you." Kyo's speech was short and to the point but you could tell from the emotion in his voice that he meant what he said. Finally Akito made her way up there to give her speech.

"I want to hate Kimi. I did for a long time in fact. I still don't get along with her. But one day when she came to visit me something about her was different. She seemed more confident and she had something serious to say to me. It turns out that she wanted to talk to me about the Sohma curse. She had found a way to break it and she told me all I had to do was let go of them and let my family be free. I couldn't do it. I tried attacking her but it didn't work. I couldn't hit her no matter what I did. She always dodged. I started crying and I confessed to her that my fear was that if I let my family go they wouldn't come back…they would abandon me…I would be alone. She comforted me and told me that she would always be there for me if that happened…that she would always be my friend. I was so overcome with surprise that the curse broke. At the same time the curse became public to the world. Many people thought that it was incredibly strange but in the end everything was so much better. Because of Kimi. Thanks to her our family is now happier and we are all able to live normal lives. We could stand up here and thank her all day but instead I am going to do something she would have wanted us to do. I am going to live my life happily and think about all of the good times instead of the bad…think about the things we have to look forward to…and be thankful for my friends and family." Akito finished her speech and walked down to where all of her friends and family were. Slowly she encircled Shigure into a hug and he hugged her back.

Everyone else that had given a speech that day also walked up there and hugged them until they all just stood quietly in a group hug, thinking of Kimi and all of the good times they had ever had and the good times they would have in the future.

**Furuba: And this story is done! Please read and review! Kimi! I hope you like this story! **


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